Comparison of climate variability between the regions of the Tiksi, Barrow and Alert hydrometeorological observatories

During the International Polar Year within the framework of Activity 196 “International Arctic Systems for Observing the Atmosphere” (IASOA) a multi-decade, consistent digital archive of meteorological surface and upper air observations have been compiled for Tiksi (Russia), Alert (Canada) and Barrow (Alaska). Using these data sets, comparable statistics have been calculated on the variability of the probability distributions, moments, extremes, and multi-annual trends for air surface temperature, surface pressure, wind velocity, and cloudiness. Quantile analysis suggests that the influence of synoptic systems on decadal temperature trends is significant. Trends in cloudiness account for about 40% of the variability suggesting the importance of evolving cloud properties on the positive trends of surface air temperature during all seasons. Upper air data show a long-term trend of lower tropospheric heating and upper troposphere/low stratosphere cooling at all 3 stations for all seasons except winter. Particularly strong positive trends of winter air temperatures have been observed at Tiksi and Alert.